Sponsored by New Zealand Media & Entertainment
FIREBRAND - Going way beyond marketing
A Dunedin business that began as a website design firm has evolved into much more in the last 14 years. Firebrand, located at 4 Dowling St, Dunedin, is now described by founding director Bex Twemlow as “a full service marketing and digital transformation powerhouse in Aotearoa”. “It's a model of business culture, innovation and achievement for itself, clients, and the community,” Bex says. “Our adaptability in the dynamic digital landscape is evident through a diverse client base of 300+ incredible clients spanning various industries across the motu. What sets Firebrand apart is not just its impressive portfolio, but the narratives of success we create for clients by harnessing all manner of marketing.” The company focuses on building lasting relationships and impactful stories, rather than just meeting business objectives, she says. It has adopted employment initiatives through Youth Employment Success to offer opportunities for young people both in New Zealand and Australia. Within the company, it fosters innovation and success for its team members. Community commitments include The Dunedin Store, early strategic roles in CODE formation, pro bono support for JobDun, and significant contributions to Business South. “By showcasing our achievements, Firebrand aims to inspire others to do the same, demonstrating that its unique blend of accomplishments truly qualifies it as a deserving candidate for any business award,” Bex says
MTF FINANCE - Making a national Splash
A long-established Dunedin lending business has shucked off its shyness with a bold new campaign. MTF Finance, which began 53 years ago, lends money across New Zealand from its nationwide network of franchises and approved vehicle dealers. It has always been proud of its service, then set a new goal of becoming a billion-dollar business by 2025. However, low awareness of its brand was a problem, and most people turned to banks first when they needed money. ‘‘We believed our amazing reputation with customers and caring approach could differentiate us,’’ head of marketing Gus Geary says. A three-pronged marketing strategy aimed to increase memorability by positioning MTF Finance as a likeable alternative, delivering consistent messaging across media platforms, and creating a seamless experience. MTF Finance created a ‘‘guardian angel’’ embodied by comedian Josh Thomson, who turns up when Kiwis need him. When he messes up their wishes, the friendly people from MTF Finance come to the rescue with ways of helping people do more. ‘‘The results have been outstanding,’’ Gus says. ‘‘Applications are up 90% and loans are up 39%. ‘‘We’ve delivered our best financial performance in 50 years, to successfully achieve our 2025 goal two years early.’’
OUSA - Multi-faceted marking on target
OUSA is a uniquely Dunedin business. It is an independent, not-for-profit operation that maintains a service level agreement with the University of Otago. It consists of business units including The Student Executive, Student Support, OUSA Events, Clubs and Socs, Radio One, Critic Magazine, and Planet Media. OUSA is also a partner in the Good One Party Register and runs The Dunedin Craft Beer and Food Festival. ‘‘We strategise, create and implement innovative, meaningful campaigns,’’ marketing and communications manager Ingrid N Roding says. ‘‘We live innovation, agility and operate efficiently to deliver strong engagement through relevant channels — including postering, screens, radio, print, promotions, social media (Instragram, Facebook and TikTok) as well as commercial partnerships. ‘‘We drive a strong annual campaign for the Dunedin Beerfest across channels with partnerships leading to a sold-out event that has become iconic to Dunedin.’’ It also sells Orientation events each year. Among OUSA’s major successes are The Dick Glass Band Campaign (which has been adopted by Dunedin Police and select bottle store owners as needed), The Covid Campaign (adopted by the university due to its success and progression), Can Campaign, Good One Thumbs Up Checklist campaign, development of The Student Support HUB, growing the TikTok channel from zero in February to 2097 followers, and growing the Facebook and Instagram channels across OUSA/Clubs and Socs/Ori and the Dunedin Craft Beer and Food Festival
DUNEDIN AIRPORT - Keeping it real
Dunedin Airport's entry in the awards centred around a campaign designed to attract visitors to Dunedin, and stimulate travel between two regions, Hawkes Bay and Dunedin. The creative part of the campaign steered away from influencers or models, instead focusing on real people sharing genuine experiences, business development general manager Megan Crawford said — people from Dunedin enjoying Hawkes Bay and vice versa. The campaign kicked off with a search for ‘‘real people who wanted to experience the other region’’ through on-air promotions on The Hits radio breakfast shows in Dunedin and Hawkes Bay. ‘‘These winners became the face of the campaign, with a camera crew documenting their experiences,’’ Megan says ‘‘In August 2022, the first campaign ran across NZHerald.co.nz, as well as Google and YouTube. The campaign reached 2,494,578 ‘eyes’ across the two regions during an initial two-week period. ‘‘With 11,880 clicks through to our lower South Island and Hawkes Bay tourism websites, we also saw great engagement with our advertising messaging — proving that demand exists for tourism between each region. A second two-week campaign ran in September 2022, again with the aim of stimulating travel between Dunedin and Hawkes Bay — this time using each region’s beer festivals as the drawcard. It was an ideal follow-up to the previous campaign, also receiving above-expected engagement,’’ Megan says. ‘‘Overall, these campaigns authentically communicated the appeal of Dunedin and drove engagement, celebrating two wonderful destinations.’’
